Michigan State Football: 4-star LB Jamari Buddin just who 2021 class needs

Michigan State football is hoping to land four-star linebacker Jamari Buddin and his potential July decision date will draw plenty of eyes.

A few months ago, the idea of landing four-star Belleville-based linebacker Jamari Buddin was ridiculous. Michigan State seemed to sit behind the likes of Penn State and Michigan for his services, but things have quickly changed with the hiring of Mel Tucker.

The new staff has put a massive emphasis on recruiting non-stop, and that includes trying to court Buddin who happens to be one of the top recruits in the state of Michigan.

On Friday, he revealed his plans to announce decision date at the beginning of July.

While this isn’t wild news, usually when a recruit picks announces a decision date, it’s within a couple of weeks. So the fact that Buddin is announcing his decision date in early in July means that it will likely come by the end of that month.

And, in my opinion, the longer his recruitment goes, the better Michigan State’s chances get.

Why? He seemed to be a lean toward Penn State in recent weeks and ever since Michigan faded in his recruitment, everyone assumed the Nittany Lions were a lock. That’s no longer the case as many experts believe it’s as close to a toss-up as there can be.

A major Michigan State football need

Buddin is exactly who Michigan State needs in its 2021 class and not just because he’s a talented athlete who plays a position of need, but he’s also a leader.

Michigan State lost one of its leaders in the 2021 class — arguably the most vocal recruit in recent memory — as Gabe Nealy decommitted. He went from fan favorite, promising Big Ten titles and more commitments to opening his recruitment back up and thanking the staff for the opportunity. It was quite the strange series of events.

With Nealy’s departure, the class needs more vocal leaders and that’s where Buddin comes into play. He is close with some other top Michigan State targets and he could help the staff recruit them while also being that captain-like figure the 2021 class needs.

Sure, Buddin is a four-star recruit and the No. 22 outside linebacker in the nation, but his commitment would be huge for rounding out the class as he could set off a domino effect.

Buddin is as important a recruit for Michigan State as anyone remaining in the 2021 class.